


Unmasked Kisses

by K_Popsicle



Category: Naruto
Genre: Developing Relationship, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Kissing, M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:41:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25643704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/K_Popsicle/pseuds/K_Popsicle
Summary: Kakashi only kisses Iruka when Iruka can’t see.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka
Comments: 10
Kudos: 216
Collections: Battleship 2020, Battleship 2020 - Yellow Team





	Unmasked Kisses

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DachOsmin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DachOsmin/gifts).



The first time Kakashi kisses him there are fireworks in the sky and Iruka has turned his head to say something only to lose his breath when the other man steals it. It’s soft and sweet, and in the next moment Iruka hears a child’s delighted laughter and glances to see if they’ve been caught. There’s a small family ambling along the path but their eyes are locked on the explosions of colours across the sky.

“I thought they had us,” Iruka says as he turns back and finds Kakashi a respectable distance away mask covering his lower face. Disappointed that it’s over, Iruka still smiles at the other man and returns to watching the fireworks. He catches Kakashi’s hand though and doesn’t let go though, not until the other man’s walked him to his door.

There isn’t a second kiss that night.

The next time Kakashi kisses him Iruka has just taken out the shinobi left to guard him when Kakashi lands in the middle of the room. Iruka watches the tense readiness fall away and the fluid ease return.

“Told them I could get you back myself,” Kakashi strolls towards him directly.

Iruka gestures to the dead guards, “I was doing fine on my own, really our genin are better trained than they were. I probably shouldn’t have been so decisive.” If he’d waited for a better opening it could have gone differently.

Kakashi reaches him, covers his eyes with a broad palm and kisses him again. Iruka nearly pulls away when his eyes are covered but what follows is more than enough. He leans into it, eye lashes sweeping against Kakashi’s skin and keeps them closed when Kakashi removes his hand.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” Kakashi admits voice muffled and Iruka opens his eyes and smiles.

Late at night, sprawled out above his covers, sweat beading and rolling across his skin Iruka tries to muster the energy to move. There are voices on the streets, people who’ve realised it’s too hot to sleep and gone out to hunt for a breeze. He can hear people in the practice grounds cheering, subdued by the late hour and he’s curious about that too.

He’s not going anywhere though, too tired to do anything but sweat and doze in semi-lucid dreams.

The knock on his door startles him awake, and afraid his neighbour has locked herself out again Iruka braves movement and walks through the sludge-humid heat to be of assistance. Instead of his neighbour Kakashi leans in his door way looking pleased as he holds up two cups of flavoured shaved ice.

“You can come in,” Iruka offers quickly, salivating at the beautiful treat and happy to see him.

“There’s a breeze on the roof of the water tower,” he replies and Iruka would normally dress, but it’s past midnight and it’s too hot for real clothes. He stuffs his feet in sandals and follows in his singlet top and shorts.

There is a breeze, it blows against the condensation that drips from the outside of his cup. Iruka leans into the breeze until Kakashi wraps an arm around his middle as if he’d fall.

It’s too hot to touch, sticky and unpleasant where skin meets skin, but Iruka doesn’t want Kakashi to let him go. His singlet sleeve has slipped off his shoulder, he’s a mess, and he feels lips press against the curve of his shoulder, then the back of his neck. Kakashi’s mouth is cold from the ice and Iruka shivers.

“Okay?” Kakashi checks, a slight squeeze of the arm around Iruka’s waist.

Iruka considers the question and Kakashi waits.

“Okay,” Iruka agrees then, “but it is too hot for those sorts of things.”

Apparently Kakashi agrees but he kisses Iruka a few more times before he lets him go.

At his door after drinks Iruka is flushed and excited because Kakashi is handsome, and funny, and so very ridiculously protective of anyone put in his care. Iruka has half a mind to be in his care, hopes he already is.

He pinches his fingers together to keep them occupied and kisses him through the mask. Kakashi pushes him back carefully, looking thoughtful, then guides Iruka into his home and in the dark corridor, the door closes behind them and Kakashi presses warm skin to warm skin. Iruka holds Kakashi closer, feels the scrape of light stubble against his mouth, a small scar in his lower lip, and kisses and kisses until Kakashi reaches for more and lights his world up in a different way.

“So you’ve seen his face?” One of the jounin ask eagerly. News has gotten around that they’re dating, nothing stays secret in a village of shinobi after all. But Iruka still would rather not talk about it.

“No,” he answers quickly to shut down the conversation that he anticipates will follow.

What follows instead is a stunned silence as the two other jounin suddenly take an interest in the conversation.

“But- Himari saw him leaving your house three nights ago, and Saburo saw him getting you milk last week, and-“

“Is there a point?” Iruka asks. He doesn’t need or want a blow by blow account of the town gossips.

“If you’re having sex- surely you’ve seen his face? What if he’s hiding a soulmark?” The jounin asks boldly.

Iruka rubs the scar on the bridge of his nose at the rudeness of the question and one of the jounin standing behind the speaker smack the man’s arm and blushes on his behalf.

“That’s neither any of your business nor any of your concern,” Iruka warns sharply, “Now get back to work or I’ll tell your mother how you spend your work hours gossiping like a middle-aged housewife.” The threat of an ex-teacher does wonders and the jounin blanches and excuses himself. His friends laugh as they retreat and Iruka isn’t sure if it’s at his reprimand or at him.

Later Kakashi takes up more than half the space as he sprawls face down across Iruka’s bed. Iruka sits up, idly sketching out lesson plans while watching the rain out the window. Kakashi’s mask in pulled up over his face, although he wears nothing else but Iruka’s sheet. Iruka thinks about the mask, it’s prevalence, thinks about touching it- not to remove it but to learn it, thinks about what it means. Then Iruka presses the side of his bare foot against Kakashi’s leg because he can and keeps working, content.

In his office Iruka is grading scrolls and shuffling papers when Kakashi enters. He’s been gone for two weeks and he’s leaner- not unhealthy, but not healthy either.

“You’re back?” Iruka sets aside his work and Kakashi approaches his desk with intent. “Will you leave soon?”

“No, I’m here for a while,” Kakashi smiles, his eyes squinting and Iruka feels the need to hug him.

“Lunch?” Iruka says instead as he stands, picking up his coat and turns to find Kakashi close- but not close enough.

Not close enough to kiss.

Not close enough to for Iruka not to see.

Not close enough to hide his face.

Iruka stares because there it is. Right there.

“I thought you didn’t have one,” Iruka confesses taking in the marks on Kakashi’s lower face. They’re like smudge strokes of fingers curving along his skin to his chin and Iruka itches to touch, to run his fingers over them. He’s kissed them, he realises, his mouth has pressed over them in the dark and he hadn’t known.

“I thought you didn’t have one,” Kakashi replies, and Iruka rubs at the back of his skull under the thick of his hair tellingly.

“I look bad with an undercut,” he explains haplessly.

“You let me kiss you anyway,” Kakashi moves closer, but Iruka can’t look away from those marks- three on each side. Soulmarks are unique, soulmarks are- complicated, soulmarks rarely matched. Iruka doesn’t mean to think it, but he think’s these look similar to the marks he remembers around the curve of his own skull.

“I like kissing you,” Iruka explains though it should be self-evident. “Do we match?” He asks haplessly. Kakashi would know, even though Iruka has never shown it to him Kakashi has found it. Kakashi has decided to show him his own mark.

“Does it matter?” Kakashi asks sounding lost. It’s a sound that Iruka has never heard from him before and he knows they are in the middle of something bigger than predesignated marks on their skin.

“No,” Iruka promises, “I love you. I never needed to see any part of you you didn’t want to share. You’re enough as you are. You always have been.”

“I didn’t know how long I could have you,” Kakashi admits, “how long until you had to see and you’d give me away when I didn’t want to be given up.”

Iruka curls his fingers around the marks on Kakashi’s jaw, and his fingers fit like puzzle pieces slot into place, “This is nice,” Iruka admits and strokes his thumb along a lighter smudge that he hadn’t noticed, “but Hatake Kakashi, I was never going to give you up. Not one you kissed me.”


End file.
